Chinese guardian lions
Chinese guardian lions, or
imperial guardian lions, are a traditional
Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of
stone, they are also known as
stone lions or
shishi (). They are known in colloquial English as
lion dogs or
foo dogs /
fu dogs. The concept, which originated and became popular in
Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of
Asiatic lions—often one male with a ball which represents the material elements and one female with a
cub which represents the element of spirit— that were thought to protect the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat. Used in
imperial Chinese palaces and
tombs, the lions subsequently spread to other parts of Asia including
Japan (see
komainu),
Korea,
Mongolia, the
Philippines,
Tibet,
Thailand,
Myanmar,
Vietnam,
Sri Lanka,
India,
Nepal,
Cambodia,
Laos,
Singapore, and
Malaysia.
Provided by Wikipedia
